One of my oldest memories was playing Dr. Riptide on my family's first computer. I played DOS computer video games when I was younger, but they were mostly focused on adventurous modern-day characters or space men from the distant future. Never had I played a game focused in the underwater realm, until this one. And at my age, that was cool in itself.
Dr. Riptide is actually the villain of this game, as your character is in search of him to put an end to his madness of making the ocean an even more dangerous place, and prevent him from bringing the world to complete chaos.
Piloting a simple submarine, you must side-scroll your way through each level, making sure not to run out of oxygen…or get eaten by pesky sea creatures. The piranhas especially were always scary to me, as they behaved like real live ones; at first swimming slowly, minding their own business until you got too close. Then they would enter a frenzy and gnaw away at you relentlessly! Also along the way, you will be able to collect valuable power ups like new weapons, ammo for them, and coins.
The game is visually pleasing for the era it came from, as it is extremely vibrant and colorful, giving a very positive and uplifting view of the ocean’s depths. And one of the coolest things that
sets this game apart is that you can launch a mini capsule that is much smaller and more maneuverable than your own bulky submarine. This allows you access to all kinds of hidden areas and the treasures concealed there. After getting the hang of its use, this feature can open up virtually the entire map to a player.
Another interesting facet of this game is the aforementioned fact that you have to keep up on oxygen in order to survive. You start out with oxygen as each level begins, but it runs out slowly as you progress. Even though there are oxygen power ups scattered throughout each level, they aren’t always easy to find and/or get to, so your speed is always of the utmost importance, which is different from some other games.
There are cheat codes that can allow you to start at whichever level you wish, but this game is fun enough you probably won’t need to use them. They might come in handy, though, if you want to come back to the game after a week, and don’t want to start completely over. Overall, I definitely recommend this game for anyone looking for a quick, entertaining, and fun gaming experience.
